If you are unhappy with a product or service you should tell the company that provided it and explain what you would like as a resolution. Escalate your complaint if necessary.

2. Gather evidence

Make a note of any contact you have with the company and save any emails or letters. This will be used as evidence to support your case if it is brought to us.

3. Give the company a chance to fix it

The company must have a reasonable opportunity to resolve your complaint. It is better for you and the company if ​the dispute can be resolved quickly and without our intervention.

4. Still unhappy? Contact us

If you remain dissatisfied with the company you can register your complaint with us, providing the company is signed up to our scheme. We will contact the company and attempt to reach a resolution that you are both satisfied with. We may ask you to provide evidence to support your case and we will keep you informed of our progress.

5. Reaching a resolution

If a company is willing to work with us to resolve your complaint we will aim to reach a resolution within 90 working days of receiving a complete complaint file. We will keep you informed of our progress. If a company is unwilling to work with us - or we cannot reach a resolution that you are both satisfied with - we will give advice about your options. This may be contacting an organisation like Citizens ​Advice or Trading Standards, or taking your complaint to a small claims court.

Ombudsman Services' handy step by step guidance to help you when complaining to a company. Advice that is good for consumers and good for business.

Is your complaint about a financial service?

The Financial Ombudsman Service handles complaints about banks, insurers and finance firms. You must give the business up to eight weeks to resolve your complaint before contacting the Financial Ombudsman Service. Depending how complicated a case is, it can resolve some complaints within a few months. It does not write the rules for financial business.

Do you have a dispute about a legal service?

The Legal Ombudsman can look into complaints about all sorts of legal service providers and authorised claims management firms. A legal service provider includes solicitors, barristers, licensed conveyancers, cost lawyers, legal executives, notaries, patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys, law firms and companies providing legal services. Your regulated legal service provider or authorised claims management company should signpost you to the Legal Ombudsman if they are unable to resolve your dispute.

​Do you need advice?

Citizens Advice provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice about your rights and responsibilities. As the UK's largest advice provider it is equipped to deal with a range of issues including debt and money, relationships, housing and consumer rights.

Do you need advice and help making a complaint?

Which? Consumer Rights is a free website to help you understand your rights and find simple ways to solve your everyday consumer problems. ​The step-by-step guides and handy template letters will help you to get the result you need, and to make companies act on your complaint.